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Why career blips are good

We are all the sum of many parts

Career pundits encourage us, exhort us even, to aim for professional activities in which we excel or feel passionate about. But for some of us that simply isn’t possible. Oftentimes career blips can work to our advantage.

Sometimes, it’s just a case of not having the skills to identify what we are good at, or feel passionate about. In other cases our passions, skills and interests change and develop over time and are not fixed. Sometimes, we just need to do something, anything, to put a roof over our heads and 3 squares on the table.

Multi- faceted

In High School I was “good” at English, History and Geography, but for different reasons went on to study Economics, which in terms of academic results, was my weaker subject. This was not considered to be my smartest move by my teachers. I was passionate about tennis, but this enthusiasm was best employed as a spectator, rather than on the court. I grew up believing I was bad at maths, yet found myself recently in an MBA workshop, as the only person there who could explain the root of Pythagoras’ Theorem.

There are times when we don’t want to focus on the areas in which we excel and want to explore new territory. We come to terms with the fact that our passions are best kept as non-revenue generating past times. We have misconceptions about our own abilities. Or lack confidence.

Skills, both hard and soft, which we put on the back burner in the early stages in our careers, we resurrect, or even discover for the first time in later years. Other latent talents develop over time and others become redundant. I once considered myself to be pretty hot-headed, I am now frequently an oasis of calm, when others are getting bent out of shape.

Nothing is set in stone
The reality is that we all have many choices and nothing is set in stone. The real skill is being able to navigate these changes with flexibility and resilience and adapt in true Darwinian style to different circumstances. Unfortunately, we have all been culturally conditioned to expect a vertical career progression (maybe even vertical lives), in constant upward motion and mobility.

But those days are perhaps over.

Individuals who desperately want to pursue one career or life track, but for whatever reason, simply have no activity in which they excel, or feel passionate about, end up apologising for what is today culturally perceived to be an unfortunate blip. But today, in a tougher job market these blips are going to be the new norm. We can’t all get what we want as the song goes.

But that shouldn’t imply failure.

It’s not the end of the world if we don’t get into the college of our choice or even into college at all.

We have all been in jobs that have not been ideal, but out of economic necessity have been forced to stick at them. We can look around for others or seek another focus for our energy.

Life doesn’t end with a missed promotion or lost job. There are other places to work. Other things to do.

Hiring by numbers

It is perhaps part of today’s culture to view this sort of flexibility and adaptability as wishy-washy, uncommitted or uninspiring. I see it simply as a new pragmatism, an ability to adapt to uncertain economic times. This approach deserves the same respect from hiring practitioners, as committment to a lifelong career in a given profession, sector or even company.

This new need to ” do what we can” makes life challenging for recruiting and hiring managers, who will have tougher jobs identifying these intangible skills, as their hiring goal posts constantly change. There will be fewer candidates exhibiting the hallmarks of the traditional, predictable, career trajectory. They will need to move out of recruiting by numbers and probe more deeply. Many, sadly, are not equipped to do this effectively and may need new training themselves.

We are all the sum of many parts and instead of having to explain that with an apology, we should not just be acknowledging that fact, but celebrating it.

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8 thoughts on “Why career blips are good”

Great post Dorothy.
Passion for what we do is ideal but we may eventually need 2 jobs. For example I love singing and started a semi.-professional career 20 years ago during the night and had my day job which I liked but never believe my singing career would be sustainable and I was right.. I think you are right young people.will probably do a lot of job hopping by choice or because of economic reality.

Thanks Dorothy – great post. In this world of portfolio careers (which probably includes stints of being unwaged), I believe a whole new range of skills will be required in recruiters. Right now I suspect a good many are beginning to sniff the wind but most are not quite sure what it means

Wendy fab word – “dewaged” love it! It’s like dejobbing! A word I’ve come to use for people who volontarily give up jobs they’re not happy in. Portfolio career is also a phrase used for people who move more frequently than old schoolers are used to. The workplace is changing and not always for the better in some cases. Entry level candidates in particular are experiencing enormous difficulties maintaininga stable career trajectory. Many are doing what they can and shouldn’t be judged harshly.

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About Dorothy

International talent management strategist and coach working on both sides of the spectrum in executive search and career coaching specialising in transition from "hire to retire."

Connects top people organisations and opportunities. A motivator, plus resilience and confidence builder. With a thorough knowledge of the recruitment life-cycle she is ideally placed to support companies wanting to enhance their employer brand.

Beginner golfer for 12 years, avid reader, tennis fan. Life student. A Brussels based career coach, she works globally and is a Co-founder of 3Plus International. Supports, promotes and sponsors women in pursuit of their career goals. Listed as one of 95 top career specialists to follow on Twitter.Contact Dorothy